How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in New York?

180 calendar days from the effective date printed on your New York State Insurance Identification Card. New York publishes no penalty figure for missing it. Separately, the vehicle cannot legally be driven before it has new plates and a registration, or plates transferred from another registered vehicle.

How much does a title transfer cost in New York?

The base title fee is $50. The New York title certificate fee for a vehicle, trailer or vessel. A manufactured home title is $125. It excludes the $25 plate fee, the registration fee, the county use tax, the MCTD supplemental fee and the sales tax. At registration you must pay New York sales tax, prove it was already paid, or prove the transfer is exempt - and you must take away a DMV sales tax receipt even when it is exempt. Most buyers also pay a county or New York City vehicle use tax.

Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in New York?

Sometimes required. An ordinary New York private sale needs no notary at all - the title assignment, the MV-82, the MV-912 bill of sale, the MV-103 and the sales tax forms are all signed but never notarized. Notarization appears only in a handful of specific places.

Does the seller have to notify the title authority in New York?

Yes. New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Take the plates off the vehicle and remove the registration sticker before you complete the sale, then surrender the plates as soon as possible unless you transfer them to another vehicle you own from completing the sale. New York has no seller's report of sale or release-of-liability filing; surrendering the plates is the seller's protection. If you do not turn the plates in, DMV will suspend the registration and can suspend your driver license, and you may be charged with traffic or parking violations that do not belong to you. Plates must be surrendered before the liability insurance is cancelled.

Transferring a vehicle title in New York

Issued by New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Choose your situation below — the buyer’s and seller’s obligations are listed separately, and every answer links to the official source.

Title fee: $50base title fee
Deadline: 180 daysfrom the effective date printed on your New York State Insurance Identification Card
Documents: 7incl. MV-82
Where: State officein person

New York does not process a title transfer on its own for a private sale - the buyer takes the signed-over title to a DMV office and registers and titles the vehicle in one transaction. The seller completes the 'Transfer by Owner' section on the back of the title with the damage disclosure and, for a 2011-or-newer vehicle under 20 model years old, the odometer reading, and signs an MV-912 bill of sale. The buyer files an MV-82 with a New York insurance card and a DTF-802 and pays a $50 title fee, a $25 plate fee, the registration fee, the county use tax and the sales tax, then has 10 days from registering to pass a New York State safety and emissions inspection.

11 things this answer does not settle

Two current DMV publications disagree about the damage disclosure. The Acceptable Proofs of Ownership and Certificate of Title pages both say the Damage Disclosure Statement on the back of a New York title 'must be completed for all vehicles regardless of the vehicle's age', while form MV-82.1 (rev. 10/25) says to submit one only where the proof of ownership is from New York and the vehicle is 8 years old or newer. Completing it in every case satisfies both.
New York publishes no deadline running from the date of sale for an in-state private purchase. The published clocks are 180 days from the effective date on your New York State Insurance ID Card to register, 10 days from registering to pass inspection, and 30 days from becoming a resident or acquiring an out-of-state vehicle.
New York has no seller's report of sale and no release-of-liability filing. The seller's published protection is to remove the plates and registration sticker before completing the sale and to surrender the plates on form PD-7.
The three sales tax forms the DMV and the Tax Department currently link to carry old revision stamps - DTF-802 (5/15), DTF-803 (4/14) and DTF-804 (5/15). They are the current published versions, but they have not been revised in over a decade.
Some New York counties run their own motor vehicle offices rather than state-run ones. County offices can charge a small processing fee that a state office does not - for example $1 to process a plate surrender - and this record does not enumerate county-by-county differences.
The registration fee, the county use tax and the sales tax are all variable and none can be reduced to a single number. DMV publishes an online fee estimator at process.dmv.ny.gov, but that host refused connections during this research session, so this record cites the DMV's published passenger fee and use tax charts instead.
No maximum safety or emissions inspection fee is published on the DMV inspection programme page; the page only says a station's deposit may not exceed the inspection fee.
New York publishes no deadline counted from the date of sale for an in-state private purchase. The published clock is the insurance one - register within 180 days of the effective date on your New York State Insurance ID Card - plus 10 days from registering to pass inspection.
The registration fee, the county use tax and the sales tax cannot be reduced to one number: the registration fee is set by vehicle weight and class, the county use tax by county and weight, and the sales tax by the buyer's local rate.
DMV names a 'registration transfer fee' as the alternative to the $25 plate fee when you move your own plates onto the vehicle, but publishes no amount for it on the registration or passenger fee pages.
New York does not publish a maximum safety or emissions inspection fee on the inspection programme page.

Do this first

Buy New York State liability insurance in your own name for this vehicle before you go to the DMV - the name on the New York State Insurance Identification Card has to match the name on the MV-82 exactly, and DMV will not accept out-of-state insurance for a vehicle registered in New York.
Before you hand over money, read the seller's Certificate of Title (MV-999): compare the VIN printed on it with the VIN on the driver's side dashboard, confirm the person named on the front is the person signing it, and refuse a title with anything crossed out, written over or erased - an altered title is void and the seller has to order a duplicate before they can sell.

Your checklist

Buy New York State liability insurance in your own name for this vehicle before you go to the DMV - the name on the New York State Insurance Identification Card has to match the name on the MV-82 exactly, and DMV will not accept out-of-state insurance for a vehicle registered in New York.MV-82Official page
Before you hand over money, read the seller's Certificate of Title (MV-999): compare the VIN printed on it with the VIN on the driver's side dashboard, confirm the person named on the front is the person signing it, and refuse a title with anything crossed out, written over or erased - an altered title is void and the seller has to order a duplicate before they can sell.Official page
Check the front of the title for a lienholder. If one is listed, the seller must hand you the original lien release - an MV-901 endorsed and signed by an officer of the lender, or a letter on the lender's letterhead - before you pay, because an open lien carries forward onto your new title and the lienholder can repossess the vehicle from you.MV-901Official page
Complete sections 1 to 4 of the Vehicle Registration/Title Application (MV-82), mark 'REGISTER A VEHICLE', answer the damage disclosure question in section 4, and sign the certification in section 6. If two people will be on the registration, both sign section 6 and both bring proof of identity.MV-82Official page
Complete sections 1 to 5 of the Statement of Transaction (DTF-802), including your social security number or TIN, and sign the purchaser certification. The DMV calculates and collects the sales tax from this form and issues you a sales tax receipt.DTF-802Official page
Take the signed-over title, the MV-912 bill of sale, the MV-82, the DTF-802, your New York insurance card and six points of proof of name plus proof of date of birth (ID-82) to a DMV office, and pay the $50 title fee, the plate fee, the registration fee, the county use tax and the sales tax. A first-time registration cannot be done online.MV-82Official page
Put the 10-day inspection extension sticker DMV gives you on the windshield and have the vehicle pass a New York State safety and emissions inspection within those 10 days - an inspection sticker issued to the previous registrant does not count, because a vehicle registered in a different name must be inspected again.Official page
Wait for the title certificate in the post. New York never hands a title over a counter - they are printed in a secure facility in Albany and mailed to the owner, usually within 90 days. Keep the registration receipt, which carries the plate number, make, year and VIN, in case you have to chase it.Official page

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The seller's checklist

Complete the 'Transfer by Owner' section on the back of the title: clearly print the buyer's name and address, your own name and address and the date of transfer, then sign on the 'Seller's Signature' line. Do not write on or mark the front, do not fill anything in before you actually make the transfer, and do not correct anything - any change, even in error, voids the title.Official page
Complete the Damage Disclosure Statement on the back of the title, certifying whether the vehicle has been wrecked, destroyed or damaged beyond 75 percent of its retail value at the time of loss. If you mark 'has', the vehicle needs an anti-theft examination before it can be registered and the new title will be branded 'Rebuilt Salvage'.Official page
Sign a Vehicle Bill of Sale (MV-912) showing the year and make, the VIN, the date of sale, the purchase price and both names, and give the original to the buyer - New York requires one on every private transfer.MV-912Official page
Complete and sign Section 6 on page 2 of the DTF-802 if you are selling below fair market value to anyone other than your spouse, parent, child, stepparent or stepchild - otherwise the buyer only needs your signed bill of sale.Applies when: You are selling the vehicle for less than it is worth to someone who is not your spouse, parent, child, stepparent or stepchildDTF-802Official page
Give the buyer the original lien release with the title if a lienholder is printed on the front. You do not have to have the lien taken off the title first - keep a copy of the release for yourself.Applies when: A lienholder is listed on the front of the titleMV-901Official page
Take your plates off the vehicle and peel the registration sticker off the windshield before you complete the sale. If you do not dispose of them properly you can be charged with traffic or parking violations that are not yours.Official page
Unless you are moving the plates onto another vehicle you own, surrender them with a Plate Surrender Application (PD-7) - by post to 6 Empire State Plaza Room B240 in Albany, where the postmark is your surrender date, or at a DMV office. Do this before you cancel the liability insurance, or DMV will suspend the registration and can suspend your driver license.PD-7Official page

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Both of you, together

Complete the odometer disclosure together: the seller enters the reading in the 'Transfer by Owner' block on the back of the title and the buyer signs to acknowledge the mileage. If the proof of ownership has no odometer block, both of you complete and sign the Odometer Disclosure Statement section of form MV-103 instead.Applies when: The vehicle was manufactured in or after the 2011 model year and is being transferred within 20 years of the year it was manufacturedMV-103Official page
Fill in the DTF-802 together - the buyer completes sections 1 to 5 and signs the purchaser certification, the seller supplies the previous-owner details in section 3 and, where it applies, signs the seller/donor certification in section 6 - because the DMV will not process the registration without a complete statement of transaction.DTF-802Official page

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Documents and official forms

The seller's original New York Certificate of Title (MV-999), with the 'Transfer by Owner' section on the back completed and signed over to youIt must be the original - DMV will not accept a certified copy or a photocopy of a New York title, and will not accept a title with any cross-out, alteration or erasure. If the title is already signed over to the seller by someone else, the seller cannot use it and must first get a title in their own name on an MV-82TON.
MV-82Vehicle Registration/Title Application (MV-82), completed and signed by the new owner
MV-912Vehicle Bill of Sale (MV-912) signed by both the seller and the buyerNew York requires it even when the vehicle is a gift, in which case the purchase price is entered as $0.
DTF-802Statement of Transaction (DTF-802)Both the buyer and the seller complete it in a private sale. The DMV works the sales tax out from it and issues a sales tax receipt even when the transfer is exempt.
A current New York State Insurance Identification Card in the exact name of the registrantDMV never accepts out-of-state insurance for a vehicle registered in New York, and the name on the card must match the name on the application exactly. Minimum liability is $10,000 property damage, $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury and death for one person, and $50,000/$100,000 for two or more.
ID-82Proof of name worth six points and proof of date of birth (ID-82)A current New York photo driver license, learner permit or non-driver ID card - or one expired no more than two years - covers both. Bring originals to a counter; send photocopies if you apply by mail.
The Damage Disclosure Statement on the back of the New York title, completed by the sellerTwo current DMV publications disagree about when it is needed - the title pages say for all vehicles regardless of age, form MV-82.1 says for a New York proof of ownership on a vehicle 8 years old or newer. Completing it in every case satisfies both.

Also required in some cases

The vehicle was manufactured in or after the 2011 model year and is 20 model years old or newer

MV-103The odometer disclosure on the back of the title, or an Odometer and Damage Disclosure Statement (MV-103)

A lienholder is printed on the front of the title

MV-901The original lien release from the lienholder (MV-901 endorsed by an officer, or a letter on the lender's letterhead)

The title the seller holds is still in a previous owner's name

MV-82TONApplication for Title (MV-82TON), used by the seller first

Someone other than the owner is signing the application or the title

An original, notarized Power of Attorney

Deadlines

Deadline180 calendar days from the effective date printed on your New York State Insurance Identification Card — Buyer: Register the vehicle at a DMV office within 180 days of the effective date on your New York State Insurance ID CardNew York publishes no penalty figure for missing it; the vehicle cannot legally be driven before it has new plates and a registration.
Deadline10 calendar days from the date of the registration — Buyer: Pass a New York State safety and emissions inspection within 10 days of registeringThe 10-day inspection extension sticker expires. A vehicle that fails the emissions inspection may not be able to be registered, and its registration may not be renewed.
DeadlineRemove the plates and registration sticker before completing the sale, and surrender the plates as soon as possible unless you transfer them to another vehicle from completing the sale — SellerIf you do not turn the plates in, DMV will suspend the registration and can suspend your driver license, and you may be charged with traffic or parking violations that are not yours.

Fees and taxes

Charge	Amount	Paid by
Base title fee	$50The New York title certificate fee for a vehicle, trailer or vessel. A manufactured home title is $125. It excludes the $25 plate fee, the registration fee, the county use tax, the MCTD supplemental fee and the sales tax.	Buyer
Certificate of title fee	$50The title certificate fee for a vehicle, trailer or vessel. A manufactured home title is $125. It does not include the plate fee, the registration fee, the county use tax or the sales tax.	Buyer
Vehicle plate fee	$12.50–$25$25 for a standard two-plate set, or $12.50 for a vehicle that takes one plate. You do not pay it if you transfer your own plates and registration onto the vehicle.	Buyer
Registration fee	From $26Varies by vehicle weight, vehicle class, county of residence, fuel type, cylinders, registration period (one or two years) and plate type. The published two-year passenger chart runs from $26.00 for a vehicle up to 1,650 lbs to $140.00 at 6,951 lbs or more, with a minimum two-year fee of $32.50 for a vehicle with six or more cylinders or an electric vehicle..Official calculator	Buyer
County (or New York City) vehicle use tax	From $10Varies by the county you live in and the weight of the vehicle. Residents of the five New York City counties pay $30 for two years. In the counties outside New York City that levy it, the tax is $10 for two years at 3,500 lbs or less and $20 for two years at 3,501 lbs or more. Not every county levies it..If you live outside New York City and are exempt in your county, claim it on form UT-11C; New York City residents get form UT-11 from a DMV Call Center.Official calculator	Buyer
Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (MCTD) supplemental fee	$50$50 for two years ($25 per year), and only in the twelve MCTD counties: Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester. It is not charged anywhere else, and not charged at all if you transfer your own registration and plates onto the vehicle.	Buyer
New York State and local sales tax	VariesVaries by the purchase price and the combined state and local rate where the new owner lives (or, for a business, where the vehicle is principally used or garaged).The DMV calculates and collects it at the counter from the DTF-802 and issues a sales tax receipt. The DMV's online fee estimator does not include sales tax.Official calculator	Buyer
Registration/plate transfer fee (moving your own plates onto the vehicle)	Not publishedThe DMV lists a 'registration transfer fee' as the alternative to the $25 plate fee when you move plates from another vehicle you own, but publishes no amount for it on the registration or passenger fee pages read here. The deceased-owner checklist MV-843 gives $10 plus any weight difference for a plate transfer in an estate transaction; DMV does not repeat that figure on the general fee pages.	Buyer

At registration you must pay New York sales tax, prove it was already paid, or prove the transfer is exempt - and you must take away a DMV sales tax receipt even when it is exempt. Most buyers also pay a county or New York City vehicle use tax.

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

Inspection: RequiredEvery vehicle registered in New York must pass a safety inspection at least every 12 months, and a vehicle registered in a new name must be inspected again - you get a 10-day extension sticker when you register and the vehicle must pass within those 10 days.
Emissions: Sometimes required
Most 1996 or newer gasoline-powered vehicles and most 1997 or newer diesel-powered vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating under 8,501 lbs take the OBDII emissions test
Most other vehicles - from model year 1996 and older through vehicles up to 25 model years old, weighing 18,000 lbs or less - take the Low Enhanced emissions test instead
Diesel vehicles over 8,500 lbs GVWR registered in one of the five New York City counties or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland or Westchester take a smoke opacity test
The emissions test is done at the same time as the annual safety inspection, so it is not a separate appointment
Most vehicles take an emissions inspection at the same appointment as the annual safety inspection - the OBDII test for most 1996-or-newer petrol and 1997-or-newer diesel vehicles under 8,501 lbs GVWR, and the Low Enhanced test for most of the rest.
Notarization: Not requiredAn ordinary New York private sale needs no notary at all - the title assignment, the MV-82, the MV-912 bill of sale, the MV-103 and the sales tax forms are all signed but never notarized. Notarization appears only in a handful of specific places.
Odometer disclosure: Sometimes required
Required when the vehicle was manufactured in or after the 2011 model year and is 20 model years old or newer
Not required for a vehicle manufactured in or before model year 2010
Not required for a vehicle manufactured in or after the 2011 model year that is more than 20 model years old
Odometer disclosure is required only for a vehicle manufactured in or after the 2011 model year that is 20 model years old or newer - so a 2011 vehicle needs one on any transfer from 2011 through 2030, and a 2018 vehicle from 2018 through 2037.

What happens to the plates

Plates belong to the registrant, not the vehicle: the seller takes them off before the sale and either moves them onto another vehicle they own or surrenders them to DMV, and the buyer pays $25 for a new set.

The seller keeps the plates
The seller surrenders the plates
The seller may move the plates to a replacement vehicle
The buyer gets new plates

The DMV's instruction is to take the plates off and remove the registration sticker from the windshield before the sale is completed, because otherwise 'you may be charged with traffic or parking violations that do not belong to you'. Plates are surrendered on form PD-7 - by post to 6 Empire State Plaza Room B240 in Albany, where the postmark counts as the surrender date and there is no fee, or at an office, where a county-run motor vehicle office charges $1 to process it. Surrender must happen before the liability insurance is cancelled; otherwise DMV suspends the registration and can suspend the driver license. Plates can instead be transferred to another vehicle you own, provided the registration has not expired. A surviving spouse can take over a deceased registrant's plates at no charge.

How to submit

In person at a state title office
In person at a county office
By mail

New York normally titles and registers in one transaction at a DMV office, so bring New York liability insurance in your own name to the appointment - you cannot register without it, and DMV never accepts out-of-state cover.

Official state links

Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Checked July 26, 2026. Report a correction

Common questions about New York

How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in New York?: 180 calendar days from the effective date printed on your New York State Insurance Identification Card. New York publishes no penalty figure for missing it. Separately, the vehicle cannot legally be driven before it has new plates and a registration, or plates transferred from another registered vehicle.
How much does a title transfer cost in New York?: The base title fee is $50. The New York title certificate fee for a vehicle, trailer or vessel. A manufactured home title is $125. It excludes the $25 plate fee, the registration fee, the county use tax, the MCTD supplemental fee and the sales tax. At registration you must pay New York sales tax, prove it was already paid, or prove the transfer is exempt - and you must take away a DMV sales tax receipt even when it is exempt. Most buyers also pay a county or New York City vehicle use tax.
Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in New York?: Sometimes required. An ordinary New York private sale needs no notary at all - the title assignment, the MV-82, the MV-912 bill of sale, the MV-103 and the sales tax forms are all signed but never notarized. Notarization appears only in a handful of specific places.
Does the seller have to notify the title authority in New York?: Yes. New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Take the plates off the vehicle and remove the registration sticker before you complete the sale, then surrender the plates as soon as possible unless you transfer them to another vehicle you own from completing the sale. New York has no seller's report of sale or release-of-liability filing; surrendering the plates is the seller's protection. If you do not turn the plates in, DMV will suspend the registration and can suspend your driver license, and you may be charged with traffic or parking violations that do not belong to you. Plates must be surrendered before the liability insurance is cancelled.
What happens to the license plates in New York?: Plates belong to the registrant, not the vehicle: the seller takes them off before the sale and either moves them onto another vehicle they own or surrenders them to DMV, and the buyer pays $25 for a new set.

About this page

Everything here is a summary of procedures published by official state title authorities, with a link to the source for each answer.

Unusual ownership, probate, lien, salvage, court-order or identity situations commonly require steps beyond those listed here.

We do not file anything with any agency, and we cannot submit, expedite, or check the status of a transfer. Ticking a box on this site records your own progress in your browser and nothing more.

35 official sources · last checked July 26, 2026 · How this was compiled · Report a correction